AN AFRICAN CHILD-NAMING CEREMONY

Children are always seen as a source of joy in every culture. The presence of a child changes a lot in the life of a lot of individuals. When a child is expected, a child can bring happiness to a sad home and in some cases, mend already breaking relationships.

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A child is given a name when he/she is born. Some children are named on a whim in some parts of the world while a lot of preparations are made to giving new babies their names in other parts of the world.

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In my country Nigeria, some cultures do not take naming a child seriously while some feel the importance of a child's name can never be over emphasized. A child's name can be seen to predict a child's future and life in general. It is a belief in some parts of the country that having a good name can protect a child from danger and even lead a child to making the life right decisions.

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Being an photographer and a culture enthusiast, I come across some of these cultures and I would be showing you the child naming ceremony rites of one of the most interesting cultural groups in my country - the Yoruba.

Now as most Nigerians or Africans already know, the Yorubas are one of the most culturally inclined people and this trait actually makes this tribe endearing to the general populace in the country. As with every thing that involves culture, the Yorubas do not disappoint when naming a new child. A lot of preparation and thought goes into getting a child's name. Some children have lots of names prepared down for them even before they are born while some children are named while taking into consideration the conditions that led to the birth of that child.

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In Yoruba land this ceremony is known as "Iso omo Loruko" . The ceremony is held 8 days after the birth of the child. The ceremony may be held at the home of the child's parents or grandparents depending on which is more convenient. The ceremony is usually conducted while taking the religion of the child into consideration. The child's parents were Christians so the Christian way was followed in this ceremony.

The ceremony opens with prayers from the officiating minister. He prays for blessings and good health and all the family desired.

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Next some passages from the bible were read to show the importance of giving a child a good name. The Child's parents are made to understand that the name they choose for that child was going to go a long way in that child's life.

The father of the child is asked to reveal to all the names he had chosen for his child. It is normal in the Yoruba culture for a child to have multiple names. Sometimes a child is given as much as 10 names. Some of the names may talk about wealth, some happiness. Some may talk about love while some may dedicate the child to the hands of the higher power.

The officiating minister goes through all the names chosen while asking for the meaning of the names.

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After being convinced that the names represent all things that are good in life, the father announces the names to the congregation and the child is officially named according to the culture.

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The officiating minister prays for the new child, asking that the child be a source of joy and blessing to her parents and the world at large. The child is annointed with oil and dedicated to God from that day onwards.

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The pastor gives the child to her father. He prays for her and pronounces words of blessing on the life of the child.

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The mother repeats the same, asking the almighty that the child be fortunate in all her endeavours in life.

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The oldest member of the family present which is the maternal grandmother also prays for the new child. After all this is done, an offering is conducted for the child. This is very symbolic as it represents how wealthy you want the child to be in future. The parents of the child put down money first while the rest of the family and well wishers follow suit.

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The ceremony then moves into the celebration phase. Lots of food and drinks are made available for all the guests to eat their fill.

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The guests are entertained with music and engage in conversations while they fill their stomachs with food. More and more guests arrive and are equally entertained. There is no shortage of eating and drinking as all the guests are expected to be satisfied. This goes on for quite a while into the evening. Lots of guests come and go while the merrymaking continues until the last of the guests leave.

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Concluding prayers are held for the ceremony and it is officially closed. The new baby now bears all the names given to her and can now be fully integrated into society.

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All images and texts are original works of @thejotographer